S128P4 – That which lies within: a kind of light
Lk. 11:33-36
No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.
Her body had begun to fight against itself. The cells that once had been healthy now were being infiltrated by impurities the body should have purged. The medical team charged with deciding how to treat this new illness first had to determine what the problem actually was. After a battery tests, they discovered that certain cells had lost their fortification. They became contaminated because they could not keep out the damaging byproducts of other cellular processes. The answer then became clear. They needed to find a treatment that would protect the cell walls by letting in only that which would help their growth and keep out the rest.
This passage about the eye being the lamp of the body is easily misunderstood. That lamp shines light inwardly, not outwardly. The eyes are the gatekeepers, and they determine whether light or darkness enter us. This metaphor is all about what we allow our eyes to survey. When we allow our eyes to view and take in the things of darkness, we fill ourselves with that darkness. If we instead let our eyes behold good light, we will be full of light. These eyes are filters, and they need to be developed with discipline to keep out the darkness. The wise person understands that the images taken in by the eyes will have a great spiritual impact on him, and that impact will be seen by others.
There is a reason why we look people in the eyes when we interact. We are trying to see them not on the outside but on the inside. You can tell a lot about a person by what you see in their eyes. That is why people say that so-and-so looks honest or someone seemed a little off. The light or darkness we allow inside us becomes evident when others take the time to look there. Putting on a show lasts only so long. The quality of our light will become clear, but we also must be discerning of the quality of light we see in others. Those who look closely will see whether a person’s light is bright or dull. Father, guard these eyes from darkness, and draw us closer to the good light that should fill us.